Image distribution device, image distribution system, image distribution method, and image distribution program

ABSTRACT

By performing a simple operation on an information processing terminal, a direction of a subject desired to be viewed by a user  40  can be smoothly displayed from various directions. An acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of moving image data, a data generating unit that generates still image data for each of the plurality of pieces of moving image data, a storage unit that stores the still image data in association with position data and time data, a designated value accepting unit that accepts a position designation value in the still image data desired to be viewed by a user, and a selection unit that selects the still image data on the basis of the position designation value accepted by the designated value accepting unit and transmits the selected still image data to an external display device via a communication network are included, and the selection unit selects the still image data corresponding to the position designation value that has already been designated in a case in which the designated value accepting unit has not accepted the position designation value and selects the corresponding still image data on the basis of a change in the position designation value by using the time data as a reference in a case in which the designated value accepting unit has accepted the position designation value.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/649,357, filed Mar. 20, 2020, which is a 371 National StageApplication of PCT/JP2018/034937, filed Sep. 20, 2018, which claimspriority to Japanese Application No. 2017-180411, filed Sep. 20, 2017,the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an image distribution device, an imagedistribution system, an image distribution method, and an imagedistribution program, and more particularly, to an image distributiondevice, an image distribution system, an image distribution method, andan image distribution program using images captured by a plurality ofcameras.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, video distribution devices using images captured by aplurality of cameras have been developed. For example, in PatentLiterature 1, a configuration in which a point of view of a subject ischanged using arrangement states of some cameras designated by a user inadvance as a reference among a plurality of cameras having differentpoints of view of the same subject is disclosed. It discloses that thatone or two or more different cameras capturing images used forgenerating a series of combined moving images are designated as a grouptogether with a camera designated by a user, and the combining order isdetermined for generating a series of combined moving images by changingand combining captured moving images of cameras inside this designatedgroup at predetermined change timings.

In addition, in Patent Literature 2, an imaging system capable ofcapturing a plurality of images of a target object by disposing aplurality of imaging apparatuses in a three-dimensional space in whichmoving image signals of a subject are distributed from the plurality ofcameras to a recording device with points of view thereof changed isdescribed.

PATENT LITERATURE

-   [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application    Publication No. 2015-177394-   [Patent Literature 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application    Publication No. 2004-53616

Technical Problem

Here, in the inventions described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, in acase in which moving images captured by a plurality of cameras undergocombination processing in each instance, there is a problem in that theamount of data becomes large, and a direction in which a subject isdesired to be viewed cannot be designated by a user.

Thus, the present invention is realized with the problem described abovetaken into account, and an object thereof is to smoothly display adirection of a subject desired to be viewed by a user from variousdirections through a simple operation on an information processingterminal.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An image distribution device according to the present inventionincludes: an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces ofmoving image data imaged at different points; a data generating unitthat generates still image data by extracting a frame for everypredetermined time as a still image for each of the plurality of piecesof moving image data acquired by the acquisition unit; a storage unitthat stores the still image data in association with position datarepresenting an imaging position at which a subject has been imaged ineach of the plurality of pieces of moving image data and time datarepresenting a time at which the still image data has been imaged; adesignated value accepting unit that accepts a position designationvalue for designating the position data in the still image data desiredto be viewed by a user; and a selection unit that selects the stillimage data in accordance with the time data on the basis of the positiondesignation value accepted by the designated value accepting unit andtransmits the selected still image data to an external display devicevia a communication network, and the selection unit selects the stillimage data corresponding to the position designation value that hasalready been designated in a case in which the designated valueaccepting unit has not accepted the position designation value andselects the corresponding still image data on the basis of a change inthe position designation value by using the time data of the still imagedata corresponding to a time at which the position designation value hasbeen accepted as a reference in a case in which the designated valueaccepting unit has accepted the position designation value.

In addition, when the time data is used as a reference, the selectionunit may initially select the still image data corresponding to theposition data selected at that moment.

In addition, the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces ofmoving image data acquired by imaging a subject from differentdirections, the position data is direction data representing informationthat can be used for specifying a direction in which the subject isimaged, and the designated value accepting unit may accept a directiondesignation value for designating the direction data in the still imagedata desired to be viewed by the user as the position designation value.

An image distribution system according to the present inventionincludes: the image distribution device described above; and a pluralityof mobile terminals that are arranged to surround a subject, includecameras imaging the subject from different directions, have a functionof recording moving images acquired through imaging, transmit therecorded moving images to a communication network, and configure aplurality of imaging units, and the acquisition unit acquires aplurality of the moving images acquired by the mobile terminals imagingthe subject from the mobile terminals via the communication network.

In addition, the image distribution system according to the presentinvention may further include: an information processing terminal thatincludes a display monitor receiving and displaying the still image datatransmitted from the image distribution device and an operationrecognizing unit recognizing a motion of a finger of a user in front ofthe display monitor as a direction designating operation for selectingthe direction designation value and recognizing an amount of movement ofthe finger of the user as the direction designation value and configuresthe display device, and the information processing terminal, by usingthe still image data received from the selection unit, may display thestill image data of the subject at the direction designation valuechanging on the basis of the direction designating operation during thedirection designating operation and display a pseudo moving image from adirection corresponding to a completion position by sequentiallyreceiving and displaying the still image data having a directiondesignation value corresponding to the completion position of thedirection designating operation in the order of a time series when thedirection designating operation is not performing.

In addition, the operation recognizing unit may recognize a swipingoperation in which a user slides a finger in a state in which the fingeris brought into contact with a surface of the display monitor as thedirection designating operation.

In addition, in a case in which the designated value accepting unitaccepts the direction designation value, the selection unit may selectthe still image data such that the direction data is continuouslyconnected in a case in which the amount of change in the directiondesignation value per unit time is smaller than a threshold and selectthe still image data such that the direction data is intermittentlyconnected in a case in which the amount of change in the directiondesignation value per unit time is equal to or larger than thethreshold.

In addition, the information processing terminal includes a requestingunit that makes a request to the selection unit for the still image datato be displayed on the display monitor on the basis of the directiondesignation value and a drawing unit that draws the still image dataacquired by the requesting unit in the display motor using Hyper TextMarkup Language (HTML) data, and a time TF in which the drawing unitdraws the still image data on the display monitor may be shorter than atime TD in which the requesting unit acquires the still image data fromthe selection unit and transmits the acquired still image data to thedrawing unit.

According to the present invention, there is provided an imagedistribution method causing a computer to execute: an acquisition stepof acquiring a plurality of pieces of moving image data imaged atdifferent points; a data generating step of generating still image databy extracting a frame for every predetermined time as a still image foreach of the plurality of pieces of moving image data acquired in theacquisition step; a storage step of storing the still image data inassociation with position data representing an imaging position at whicha subject has been imaged in each of the plurality of pieces of movingimage data and time data representing a time at which the still imagedata has been imaged; a designated value accepting step of accepting aposition designation value for designating a position at which thesubject is viewed by a user; and a selection step of selecting the stillimage data in accordance with the time data on the basis of the positiondesignation value accepted in the designated value accepting step andtransmitting the selected still image data to an external display devicevia a communication network, and, in the selection step, the still imagedata corresponding to the position designation value that has alreadybeen designated is selected in a case in which the position designationvalue has not been accepted in the designated value accepting step, andthe corresponding still image data is selected on the basis of a changein the position designation value by using the time data of the stillimage data corresponding to a time at which the position designationvalue has been accepted as a reference in a case in which the positiondesignation value has been accepted in the designation value acceptingstep.

According to the present invention, there is provided an imagedistributing program causing a computer to implement: an acquisitionfunction of acquiring a plurality of pieces of moving image data imagedat different points; a data generating function of generating stillimage data by extracting a frame for every predetermined time as a stillimage for each of the plurality of pieces of moving image data acquiredby the acquisition function; a storage function of storing the stillimage data in association with position data representing an imagingposition at which a subject has been imaged in each of the plurality ofpieces of moving image data and time data representing a time at whichthe still image data has been imaged; a designated value acceptingfunction of accepting a position designation value for designating aposition at which the subject is viewed by a user; and a selectionfunction of selecting the still image data in accordance with the timedata on the basis of the position designation value accepted by thedesignated value accepting function and transmitting the selected stillimage data to an external display device via a communication network,and, in the selection function, the still image data corresponding tothe position designation value that has already been designated isselected in a case in which the position designation value has not beenaccepted by the designated value accepting function, and thecorresponding still image data is selected on the basis of a change inthe position designation value by using the time data of the still imagedata corresponding to a time at which the position designation value hasbeen accepted as a reference in a case in which the position designationvalue has been accepted by the designation value accepting function.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, by accepting designation of adirection for viewing a subject from an information processing terminal,acquiring a still image corresponding to a direction every time whendesignation of the direction is accepted, and transmitting still imagesin the order of a time series in which the still images corresponding tothe direction are stored to the information processing terminal, adirection of a subject desired to be viewed by a user can be smoothlydisplayed from various directions through a simple operation on theinformation processing terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of animage distribution system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a configurational block diagram of an image distributiondevice illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a configurational block diagram of an information processingterminal illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of arrangement of aplurality of imaging units illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIGS. 5A and 5B each are a schematic view of still image data stored ina storage unit illustrated in FIG. 1 , FIG. 5A is a diagram illustratinga state in which still image data is stored, and FIG. 5B is a diagram inwhich still image data is aligned in a time series.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a sequence of still image datadisplayed in the information processing terminal illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process inside theinformation processing terminal illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8 is a control flow diagram of the image distribution deviceillustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 9 is a control flow diagram of the information processing terminalillustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of simulated moving images that can beread by a user using the image distribution system illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of amoving image distribution system.

FIGS. 12A and 12B each are a diagram illustrating the arrangement of aplurality of imaging apparatuses.

FIGS. 13A to 13D each are a diagram illustrating moving image data anddivided data.

FIG. 14A to 14C each are a diagram illustrating switching of divideddata.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a moving image distribution method.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a server.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with referenceto the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of an image distribution system 1 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , theimage distribution system 1 includes a plurality of mobile terminals 10(imaging units) that are disposed to surround a subject O, an imagedistribution device 20 that distributes imaged data captured by themobile terminal 10, and an information processing terminal 30 (a displaydevice) including a display monitor 36 that displays an image suppliedfrom the image distribution device 20.

The plurality of mobile terminals 10, the image distribution device 20,and the information processing terminal 30 are interconnected via acommunication network. As the communication network, any one of variouscommunication systems (for example, WiFi, 3G, LTE, and Bluetooth(registered trademark)) including wireless LAN may be used. Thecommunication network may be a wired network.

The plurality of mobile terminals 10 include cameras imaging a subject Oin different directions and have a function of recording a moving imageacquired through imaging. The mobile terminal 10 can transmit a recordedmoving image to the communication network. The camera includes animaging device such as a CCD, a CMOS, or the like.

Although an example in which MPEG data is handled as moving image data,and JPEG data is handled as still image data is described in thefollowing description, the formats of the moving image data and thestill image data may be arbitrarily changed.

In this embodiment, so-called “bullet-time imaging” in which theplurality of mobile terminals 10 surround the subject O is performed. Inthe bullet-time imaging, many cameras are aligned on the periphery ofthe subject O, and the subject O is continuously imaged sequentially bythe cameras in directions in which an angle is desired to be moved.

In this bullet-time imaging, by performing image processing, themovement of the subject O can be configured as a slow motion, or animage in which a camera work moves at a high speed can be captured. Theimage distribution device 20 may include an image processing unit (notillustrated) that is used for variable-speed reproduction. The imageprocessing unit, for example, can perform slow reproduction andspeed-up. Such an image processing unit may be included not in the imagedistribution device 20 but in the information processing terminal 30.

Next, the configuration of the image distribution device 20 will bedescribed. The configuration of the image distribution device 20described below is merely an example, and various changes can be made ina range in which necessary functions described below can be secured.

The image distribution device 20 is a device used for providing aservice of the image distribution system 1 for the informationprocessing terminal 30. The image distribution device 20, for example,is a so-called server apparatus or a computer (for example, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a tablet, or the like). FIG. 2 is aconfigurational block diagram of the image distribution device 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the image distribution device 20 includes anacquisition unit 21, a data generating unit 22, a designated valueaccepting unit 23, a selection unit 24, a storage unit 25, a ROM 26, aRAM 27, an I/O port 28, a router, a HUB, and an MPEG decoding module 29.

The acquisition unit 21, the data generating unit 22, the designatedvalue accepting unit 23, and the selection unit 24 represent a processorhaving a function of controlling each unit of the image distributiondevice 20, and in the illustrated example, are a central processingunit. The acquisition unit 21, the data generating unit 22, thedesignated value accepting unit 23, and the selection unit 24 may be amicroprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), or the like.

The acquisition unit 21 acquires a plurality of pieces of moving imagedata imaged at different points through the I/O port 28. In thisembodiment, the acquisition unit 21 acquires a plurality of pieces ofmoving image data acquired by imaging a subject O in mutually-differentdirections.

In other words, the acquisition unit 21 acquires a plurality of movingimages, which have been acquired by the plurality of mobile terminals 10imaging the subject O, from the mobile terminals 10 via a communicationnetwork. The moving images acquired by the acquisition unit 21 arestored in the storage unit 25.

When moving image data is acquired, the acquisition unit 21 executes adata acquisition program stored in the ROM 26.

The data generating unit 22 generates still image data by extracting aframe for each predetermined time as a still image for each of theplurality of pieces of moving image data acquired by the acquisitionunit 21.

When still image data is generated, the data generating unit 22 executesa data generation program stored in the ROM 26. The data generationprogram decompresses moving image data stored in the storage unit 25into a set of still image data using the MPEG decoding module 29 andstores the set of the data in the storage unit 25 again. At this time,each piece of the still image data is stored in association with timedata representing an imaging timing. In generating still image data,some of the generated still image data may be stored in the RAM 27 asnecessary.

The designated value accepting unit 23 accepts a position designationvalue used by a user 40 to designate position data in the still imagedata that is desired to be viewed. In this embodiment, the designatedvalue accepting unit 23 accepts a direction designation valuedesignating direction data that can be used for specifying a directionin which the subject O has been imaged in the still image data desiredto be viewed by the user 40 as the position designation value.

More specifically, in accordance with a screen operation such as anoperation of sliding a finger in a state in which the finger is broughtinto contact with the screen of the display monitor 36 of theinformation processing terminal 30 to be described later, a so-calledswiping operation or the like, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , by beinginstructed whether the right side of the subject O is desired to beviewed or the left side thereof is desired to be viewed, the designatedvalue accepting unit 23 accepts designation of a direction that is adirection among directions A to L (see FIG. 4 ) of the mobile terminals10 in which the subject O is to be viewed. Here, FIG. 10 is anexplanatory diagram of simulated moving images that can be viewed by auser.

For example, by performing a swiping operation in which a fingertouching the screen slides from the left side to the right side of thescreen, a direction in which a subject is viewed may be changed suchthat the right side of the subject is displayed. On the other hand, byperforming a swiping operation in which a finger touching the screenslides from the right side to the left side of the screen, a directionin which a subject is viewed may be changed such that the left side ofthe subject is displayed. In other words, in such a case, the positionof a user seeing a subject changes with respect to the subject in adirection in which the finger moves.

In addition, for example, by performing a swiping operation in which afinger touching the screen slides from the left side to the right sideof the screen, the direction in which a subject is viewed may be changedsuch that the left side of the subject is displayed. On the other hand,by performing a swiping operation in which a finger touching the screenslides from the right side to the left side of the screen, the directionin which a subject is viewed may be changed such that the right side ofthe subject is displayed. In other words, in such a case, the subject isrotated in the direction in which a finger moves with respect to theuser.

The viewing direction may be changed in accordance with a touch on thescreen without performing a swiping operation. For example, the viewingdirection may be changed in accordance with whether a part positioned onthe right side with respect to the center in the horizontal direction istouched or a part positioned on the left side is touched on the screen.

In such a case, in a case in which a distance to a touching part fromthe center in the horizontal direction is short, the rotation angle ofthe screen may be decreased, and in a case in which a distance to atouching part from the center in the horizontal direction is short,rotation of the screen may be decreased.

The selection unit 24 illustrated in FIG. 2 selects still image dataalong time data on the basis of a direction designation value acceptedby the designated value accepting unit 23 and transmits the selectedstill image data to the information processing terminal 30 that is anexternal display device via a communication network. In this embodiment,the information processing terminal 30 receives still image data andgenerates Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) data. Here, the HTML data isdata of a web page used for providing an image and represents data thatcan be distributed in the HTML form that can be used using a webbrowser.

The storage unit 25 stores various kinds of information of the imagedistribution device 20. The storage unit 25 stores still image data inassociation with position data representing an imaging position at whicha subject O is imaged in each of a plurality of pieces of moving imagedata and time data representing a time at which the still image data isimaged. As the time data, time information may be stored, or a form inwhich a time stamp, in which a timing at which each still image isimaged is relatively represented, is stored may be employed.

In this embodiment, position data is direction data representing animaging direction in which a subject O has been imaged.

In addition, the storage unit 25 may have a function for storing variousprograms and data that are necessary for the operation of the imagedistribution device 20. The storage unit 25, for example, is any one ofvarious recording media such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid statedrive (SSD), and a flash memory.

Next, the configuration of the information processing terminal 30 willbe described. The configuration of the information processing terminal30 described below is merely an example, and various changes can be madein a range in which necessary functions described below can be secured.

The information processing terminal 30, for example, is a terminaldevice such as a smartphone or a tablet held by a user 40 and receivesstill image data transmitted from the selection unit 24 and displays thereceived still image data as HTML data. FIG. 3 is a configurationalblock diagram of the information processing terminal 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the information processing terminal 30includes a radio communication unit 31, an I/O port 32, a CPU 33, a RAM,a ROM, a flash memory 34, a graphic memory, a drawing LSI 35, a displaymonitor 36, a touch panel 37, an operation recognizing unit 38, and aJPEG decoding module 39.

The radio communication unit 31 transmits/receives data to/from theimage distribution device 20 through the I/O port 32. The informationprocessing terminal 30 may include a wired communication unit instead ofthe radio communication unit 31.

The flash memory 34 includes a web browser that generates HTML data fromstill image data transmitted from the image distribution device 20 andinterprets and executes the generated HTML data and touch panel controlfirmware.

The CPU 33 functions as a requesting unit that makes a request to theimage distribution device 20 for still image data to be displayed on thedisplay monitor 36 on the basis of the direction designation value.

In addition, the CPU 33 sequentially changes details of the still imagealong a time series for a web page (HTML data) accessed from a webbrowser, thereby providing a pseudo moving image for the user 40. Onthis web page, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , the user 40 views the subjectO in a desired viewing direction on the display monitor of theinformation processing terminal 30.

When making a request to the image distribution device 20 for a stillimage, the requesting unit executes a control program stored in theflash memory. As a language used for the control program, JavaScript maybe used.

By setting a frequency at which still image data is selected using afunction in JavaScript, still image data can be acquired with highaccuracy. As the language used for the control program, any languageother than the JavaScript may be used.

For example, by executing a requesting program stored in a requestingmemory of the ROM, the requesting unit makes a request to the imagedistribution device 20 for still image data. At this time, therequesting program specifies still image data corresponding to a viewingdirection desired by the user 40 using a direction designation valuethat has been recognized by the operation recognizing unit 38 to bedescribed below and has been stored in the RAM and transmits a requestsignal for requesting the specified still image data to the imagedistribution device 20.

The requesting unit decodes the still image data in the imagedistribution device 20 which is received from the image distributiondevice 20 using the JPEG decoding module 39 and transmits the decodedstill image data to the drawing LSI 35.

The drawing LSI 35 functions as a drawing unit that displays still imagedata acquired by the requesting unit through the I/O port 32 on thedisplay monitor 36 using HTML data. The drawing LSI 35 draws the stillimage data in a graphic memory, thereby displaying the still image data.In this embodiment, the information processing terminal 30 has twographic memories A and B. In this description, the size of the stillimage data is preferably in the range of 15 to 120 KB and, morepreferably, is in the range of 20 to 40 KB.

The touch panel 37 is disposed on a rear face of the display monitor 36.The touch panel 37 is a projection type of an electrostatic capacitancetype and can detect contact of fingers of the user 40 at multiplepoints. The touch panel 37 calculates a speed and an acceleration of afinger using a change in position coordinates according to a motion of afinger of the user 40 and a time for which the finger has moved and candetect a displacement amount of the finger as an amount of change in thedirection designation value. In accordance with this, the operationrecognizing unit 38 recognizes an operation from the user 40.

The operation recognizing unit 38 recognizes a motion of a finger of theuser 40 in front of the display monitor 36 as a direction designationvalue by recognizing it as a direction designating operation and storesthe direction designation value in the RAM.

In this embodiment, the operation recognizing unit 38 recognizes aswiping operation in which the finger of the user 40 slides while incontact with the surface of the display monitor 36 as a directiondesignating operation.

In this embodiment, in a case in which a direction designation value hasnot been accepted, the selection unit 24 of the image distributiondevice 20 selects still image data corresponding to a directiondesignation value that has already been designated. In a case in which adirection designation value has been accepted, the selection unit 24, byusing time data of still image data corresponding to a time when thedirection designation value has been accepted as a reference, selectscorresponding still image data on the basis of a change in the directiondesignation value.

Here, using time data of still image data corresponding to a time whenthe direction designation value has been accepted as a reference meansselecting still image data corresponding to at least one of time datathat is the same as that of the still image data and time datasubsequent to the time data that has already been selected. This pointwill be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of arrangement of aplurality of mobile terminals 10, FIGS. 5A and 5B each are a schematicview of still image data, FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state inwhich still image data is stored, and FIG. 5B is a diagram in whichstill image data is aligned in a time series. FIG. 6 is a schematic viewillustrating a sequence of still image data displayed in the informationprocessing terminal 30.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the plurality of mobile terminals10 are arranged in a circumferential shape on a plane having the sameheight as a subject O. This arrangement example is merely an example,and the number and an arrangement interval of mobile terminals 10 may bearbitrarily changed.

Identification numbers A to L respectively used for identifying themobile terminals 10 are assigned to the plurality of mobile terminals10. By finding an identification number, a user can specify a directionin which a subject O is imaged. For this reason, in this embodiment,these identification numbers are handled as direction data to bedesignated by the information processing terminal 30 for the imagedistribution device 20.

As the direction data, coordinate information representing a position atwhich a mobile terminal 10 is disposed, information represented by anangle from a predetermined reference line passing through the subject Oin a top view, or the like as well as the identification number of themobile terminal 10 may be used as long as the information can be usedfor specifying a direction in which the subject O is imaged.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, data generated by the data generatingunit 22 of the image distribution device 20 is stored inside a folder ofeach identification number along a time series of time data. In thisdescription, a three-digit number following an identification number ina file name of each still image data becomes time data.

In this case, for example, when the number of frames of moving imagedata is 30 FPS, a frame pitch between adjacent pieces of still imagedata becomes about 0.033 seconds. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, byreproducing still image data along time data, a pseudo moving image canbe acquired. It is preferable that the number of frames per second ofthe moving image data be about 24 to 30 FPS.

In a table illustrated in FIG. 6 , the vertical axis represents anidentification number as direction data, and the horizontal axisrepresents time data. In the table, file names of still image datacorresponding to the vertical axis and the horizontal axis are aligned.In this table, transitions in the still image data displayed in theinformation processing terminal 30 in accordance with a user's operationillustrated below the table are illustrated. In other words, the tableshows still image data corresponding to a cell through which an arrowdenoted by a solid line passes displayed in the information processingterminal 30.

First, in a state in which still image data C001 is reproduced, movingimages are sequentially reproduced in a time series.

In the process of the selection unit 24 selecting a still image, whenthe designated value accepting unit 23 accepts a direction designationvalue in accordance with a swiping operation of the user 40, asillustrated in the table of FIG. 6 , the selection unit 24 selectscorresponding still image data C005 to K005 on the basis of an amount ofchange in the direction designation value in the swiping operation usingtime data (t=5p) of still image data corresponding to a time when thedirection designation value is accepted as a reference.

Here, when a time (t=5p) at which the direction designation value isaccepted is used as a reference, the selection unit 24 initially selectsstill image data C005 corresponding to position data (direction data)selected at that moment. In this embodiment, in the process in which thedirection designation value changes, the selection unit 24 sequentiallyselects still image data corresponding to the same time data one frameeach time in order of identification numbers. Then, when the directiondesignation value displays the still image data K005 designated inaccordance with the swiping operation, a stop state occurs once.According to the user pressing a reproduction start button again, stillimage data corresponding to the direction designation value at that timecontinues to be reproduced. Instead of the stop state occurring once asdescribed above, still image data corresponding to the directiondesignation value at that time may be continued to be reproducedcontinuously.

In addition, when the user performs a swiping operation again (t=100 p),as described above, in accordance with a change in the directiondesignation value, the selection unit 24 selects still image datacorresponding to the same time data one frame each time in order ofidentification numbers (K100 to F100). Then, after the still image dataF100 designated by the swiping operation is displayed, in a case inwhich the stop state does not occur once, still image data correspondingto the same direction designation value continues to be reproducedcontinuously. Although a form in which, by using time data (t=5p) ofstill image data corresponding to a time at which the selection unit 24accepts a direction designation value as a reference, the selection unit24 selects time data that is the same as that of the still image datahas been described in the description presented above, the presentinvention is not limited to such a form.

In other words, in a video distribution device according to the presentinvention, as denoted by an arrow represented by a broken line, by usingtime data (t=5p) of still image data corresponding to a time at whichthe direction designation value has been accepted as a reference, theselection unit 24 may sequentially select time data subsequent to thetime data that has already been selected. In such a case, a reproducingstate can be maintained without the moving image being stopped evenduring swiping.

In a case in which the designated value accepting unit 23 has notaccepted a direction designation value, an amount of change in thedirection designation value per unit time is smaller than a threshold,the selection unit 24 selects still image data such that direction datais continuously connected.

On the other hand, in a case in which the amount of change in thedirection designation value per unit time is equal to or larger than thethreshold, the selection unit 24 selects still image data such thatdirection data is intermittently connected. Here, “intermittently” meansthat only a part of data is acquired for direction data that iscontinuously aligned.

In other words, in a case in which the operation recognizing unit 38determines that the amount of operation according to a swiping operationis large in accordance with the user 40 moving a finger largely andquickly, still image data corresponding to direction data away from theoriginal direction data can be acquired without acquisition of stillimage data corresponding to adjacent direction data. In accordance withthis, for example, the user 40 can instantly check still image dataacquired from the mobile terminal 10 of which the imaging direction ispositioned on the opposite side.

In accordance with still image data received from the selection unit 24,the information processing terminal 30 displays still image data of thesubject O for the direction designation value changing on the basis of adirection designating operation during the direction designatingoperation.

On the other hand, when a direction designating operation is not beingperformed, the information processing terminal 30 sequentially receivesand displays still image data of a direction designation valuecorresponding to a completion position of the direction designatingoperation in order of a time series, thereby displaying a pseudo movingimage from a direction corresponding to the completion position.

Here, in the information processing terminal 30, a time TF in which thedrawing unit draws still image data on the display monitor 36 is shorterthan a time TD in which the requesting unit acquires still image datafrom the selection unit 24 and transmits the acquired still image datato the drawing unit. This point will be described with reference to FIG.7 . FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process inside theinformation processing terminal 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , when receiving still image data for which arequest has been made to the selection unit 24, the requesting unittransmits the received still image data to the JPEG decoding module 39.Then, when decoding of the still image data is completed by the JPEGdecoding module 39, the decoded still image data is transmitted to thedrawing LSI 35 that is a drawing unit. Here, a time from the request forstill image data according to the requesting unit to when the stillimage data is transmitted to the drawing unit will be denoted by TD.

Next, the drawing unit draws the still image data that has beentransmitted thereto into a graphic memory. At this time, in thisembodiment, the still image data is drawn by alternately using twographic memories. When the drawing of the still image data into thegraphic memories is completed, the still image data is displayed on thedisplay monitor 36. Here, a time in which the drawing unit draws thestill image data into the graphic memories will be denoted by TF.

In this embodiment, since TD is shorter than TF, a state in which thedrawing unit always waits for the transmission of still image data to bedrawn next when drawing using the drawing unit is completed can berealized. In this way, still image data can be smoothly reproduced.

Next, the processing sequence of the image distribution device 20 willbe described with reference to FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 is a control flow diagramof the image distribution device 20.

First, each of the plurality of mobile terminals 10 images moving imagedata (S1). Next, the acquisition unit 21 of the image distributiondevice 20 executes an acquisition step (S2) of acquiring a plurality ofpieces of moving image data.

Next, a data generating step (S3) in which the data generating unit 22generates still image data by extracting a frame of each predeterminedtime as a still image for each of the plurality of pieces of movingimage data acquired by the acquisition unit 21 is executed.

Next, a storage step (S4) in which a CPU stores the still image datagenerated in the data generating step in association with position dataand time data representing a time at which the still image data has beenimaged is executed. The time data stored in the storage unit 25 may beacquired using a clock function built into the mobile terminal 10 or aclock function built into the image distribution device 20. Instead ofusing data representing a time, time data may be recorded throughcalculation using information of each imaging timing.

Next, a designated value accepting step (S5) in which a positiondesignation value used by the user 40 for designating a position atwhich the subject O is to be viewed is accepted is executed.

Next, a selection step (S6) in which the selection unit 24 selects stillimage data on the basis of the position designation value accepted inthe designation value accepting step and transmits the selected stillimage data to the information processing terminal 30 via a communicationnetwork is executed.

In the selection step, in a case in which a position designation valuehas not been accepted in the designation value accepting step, the stillimage data described above corresponding to the position designationvalue that has already been designated is selected. In a case in which aposition designation value has been accepted in the designation valueaccepting step, by using time data of still image data corresponding toa time at which the position designation value has been accepted as areference, the corresponding still image data described above isselected on the basis of a change in the position designation value.

Next, the processing sequence of the information processing terminal 30will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a control flowdiagram of the information processing terminal 30.

First, the operation recognizing unit 38 of the information processingterminal 30 recognizes a user's swiping operation in an operationrecognizing step (S110). The operation recognizing unit 38 specifies adirection designation value from the swiping operation.

Next, a requesting step (S120) in which the requesting unit makes arequest to the image distribution device 20 for still image data isexecuted. In this requesting step, a request signal for requesting stillimage data specified by the operation recognizing unit 38 is transmittedto the image distribution device 20.

The requesting step corresponds to the designation value accepting step(S5 in FIG. 8 ) described above in the image distribution device 20.

Here, the requesting unit repeats this operation until the reception(download) of still image data is completed (No in S121). When thereception of a still image is completed (Yes in S121), the requestingunit decompresses the still image data using the JPEG decoding moduleand then transmits the decompressed still image data to the drawingunit. The requesting unit repeats this operation until the transmissionof still image data to the drawing unit is completed (No in S122).

Finally, when the transmission of still image data to the drawing unitis completed (Yes in S122), the drawing unit draws still image data in adrawing step (S130). The drawing unit draws still image data byalternatively using two graphic memories. The drawing unit repeats thedrawing operation until the drawing is completed (No in S131).

When the drawing operation according to the drawing unit is completed(Yes in S131), the user 40 can view the still image data acquired byimaging a subject O in a desired direction using the display monitor 36of the information processing terminal 30 as a continuous pseudo movingimage.

As described above, in the image distribution system 1 according to thisembodiment, a direction designation value for viewing the subject O isaccepted from the information processing terminal 30, and still imagedata corresponding to a direction is acquired and reproduced every timea direction designation value is accepted. For this reason, byperforming a simple operation on the information processing terminal 30,a direction in which a subject O is desired to be viewed by the user 40can be smoothly displayed from various direction angles.

In addition, when a still image is selected using time data as areference, the selection unit 24 initially selects still image datacorresponding to position data selected at that moment. For this reason,by inhibiting an abrupt change in the direction in which a subject isviewed, a pseudo moving image can be formed as a natural moving imagethat is continuously connected.

In addition, by continuously transmitting only still image datacorresponding to one imaging unit in accordance with a swiping operationon the screen of the information processing terminal 30, a fee for datacommunication between the image distribution device 20 and theinformation processing terminal 30 can be reduced. In accordance withthis, for example, in a case in which there is a limit on thecommunication capacity of a communication network between the imagedistribution device 20 and the information processing terminal 30, forexample, the capacity of each piece of still image data can beconfigured to be larger than that in a configuration in which stillimage data of each of a plurality of imaging units is simultaneouslytransmitted, and a pseudo moving image to be reproduced by theinformation processing terminal 30 can be configured to have highresolution.

In addition, the imaging unit has a moving image recording function, andthe mobile terminal 10 can transmit recorded moving image data to acommunication network. Accordingly, it is possible to easily exchangedata between the imaging unit and the image distribution device 20 viathe communication network.

Furthermore, since a direction designating operation can be performedusing a simple operation of performing a swiping operation on the screenof the display monitor 36, the user 40 can designate a direction inwhich the subject O is desired to be viewed in a pseudo moving image byperforming an intuitively simple operation.

In addition, in a case in which the user 40 performs a large swipingoperation or the like, the selection unit 24 intermittently selectsstill image data, and accordingly, the amount of data transmitted to theinformation processing terminal 30 can be configured to be smaller thanthat of a case in which the selection unit 24 continuously selects stillimage data.

In accordance with this, even in a case in which the amount of operationin the direction designating operation of the user 40 becomes large, andthe number of pieces of direction data to be aligned in correspondencewith the amount of operation becomes large, an increase in the amount ofcommunication data between the image distribution device 20 and theinformation processing terminal 30 can be reliably inhibited.

While an embodiment of the present invention has been described abovewith reference to the drawings, a specific configuration is not limitedto this embodiment.

For example, although a configuration in which the imaging unit is acamera included in the mobile terminal 10 has been illustrated in theembodiment described above, the present invention is not limited to sucha form, and a single-lens reflex camera, a digital camera, or the likemay be used as the imaging unit.

In addition, although a configuration in which the informationprocessing terminal 30 generates HTML data using still image datatransmitted from the image distribution device 20 has been illustratedin the embodiment described above, the present invention is not limitedto such a form. The image distribution device 20 may form still imagedata as HTML data and transmit the HTML data to the informationprocessing terminal 30.

In addition, although the configuration of bullet-time imaging using aplurality of imaging units has been illustrated in the embodimentdescribed above, the present invention is not limited to such a form.For example, moving images such as scenes imaged at a plurality ofpositions may be used. Furthermore, although a configuration in which aplurality of mobile terminals 10 are arranged in a circumferential shapeon a plane having the same height with respect to a subject O has beenillustrated in the bullet-time imaging according to the embodimentdescribed above, the present invention is not limited to such a form. Itmay be configured such that planes are set at a plurality of heights, acamera group is configured at a plane of each of the heights, and theselection unit 24 selects still image data over the camera groups. Inaccordance with this, a direction in which the subject O is viewed canbe three-dimensionally selected.

In addition, an imaging target for the imaging unit, for example, may bea working person or an animal other than a person instead of a personenjoying a sport as illustrated in FIG. 1 or may be an entire stadium,an entertainer, a concert of a singer, or the like. Furthermore,although the image distribution system 1 may also be used for alandscape, it is basically effective for a moving object such as aperson, an animal, or the like. The reason for this is that this imagedistribution system 1 can provide a pseudo moving image such as a360-degrees moving image, and accordingly it is effective for a dynamicsubject O.

In addition, the information processing terminal 30 can designate adifferent direction not only through a swiping operation but using atrajectory of a finger. In other words, the user 40 can input anoperation command by moving a finger in front of the screen withoutbringing the finger into contact with the display monitor 36 of theinformation processing terminal 30. In this case, for example, theoperation recognizing unit 38 may be realized by additionally installingfirmware that images the front side of the display monitor 36 andconverts a motion of a finger into coordinates in the informationprocessing terminal 30.

In addition, although a configuration in which the selection unit 24selects still image data of one frame corresponding to correspondingtime data in order of identification numbers while the designated valueaccepting unit 23 accepts a direction designation value, in other words,in the process in which the direction designation value changes has beenillustrated in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited tosuch a form.

For example, in the process in which the direction designation valuechanges, the selection unit 24 may select still image data correspondingto corresponding time data and still image data following the stillimage data that correspond to a plurality of frames corresponding to anarbitrary number. In such a case, still image data corresponding to theplurality of frames corresponding to the arbitrary number may be handledas one file.

In addition, although a configuration in which, in a case in which thedesignated value accepting unit 23 accepts a direction designation valueand the amount of change in the direction designation value per unittime is equal to or larger than a threshold, the selection unit 24selects still image data such that direction data is intermittentlyconnected has been illustrated in the embodiment described above, thepresent invention is not limited to such a form.

That is, the process of intermittently selecting still image data may beperformed on the information processing terminal 30 side instead of theimage distribution device 20 side.

In such a case, for example, a configuration in which the requestingunit intermittently makes a request to the selection unit 24 for stillimage data to be displayed on the display monitor 36 in a case in whichthe amount of operation in the direction designating operationrecognized by the operation recognizing unit 38 in the informationprocessing terminal 30 is equal to or larger than a threshold may beemployed.

In addition, each functional unit of the image distribution system 1 maybe realized using logical circuits (hardware) or a dedicated circuitformed in an integrated circuit (IC) chip, a large scale integration(LSI), or the like or may be realized by software using the centralprocessing unit (CPU) and a memory. In addition, each functional unitmay be realized by one or a plurality of integrated circuits, and thefunctions of a plurality of functional units may be realized by oneintegrated circuit. The LSI may be referred to as a VLSI, a super LSI,an ultra LSI, or the like depending on a difference in the degree ofintegration.

Next, a moving image distribution system (an image distribution system)100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of themoving image distribution system 100.

The moving image distribution system 100 includes a plurality of imagingapparatuses 110, a server 130 as an example of a moving imagedistribution device, and an information terminal 120.

The plurality of imaging apparatuses 110, the server 130, and theinformation terminal 120 are interconnected via a communication networkN.

The imaging apparatus 110 generates moving image data by imaging asubject. As one example, the imaging apparatus 110 is a smartphone, atablet terminal, a camera, a video camera, or the like.

As a specific configuration example, the imaging apparatus 110 includesan imaging unit 111, a first communication unit 112, and a first controlunit 113.

The imaging unit 111 includes a lens, an image sensor, and the like forgenerating moving image data by imaging a subject.

The first communication unit 112 transmits moving image data generatedby the imaging unit 111 to the server 130.

The first control unit 113 controls the imaging unit 111 and the firstcommunication unit 112. The first control unit 113 performs imageprocessing for moving image data generated by the imaging unit 111 asappropriate. In this imaging process, as one example, a process ofadding data of an imaging time to the moving image data may be included.In addition, in the image processing, as one example, a process ofadding identification data used for identifying the imaging apparatus110 to the moving image data may be included.

As described above, there are the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110,and the imaging apparatuses 110 are arranged such that a subject isimaged at different angles. It is preferable that subjects imaged by theplurality of imaging apparatuses 110 be the same.

FIGS. 12A and 12B each are a diagram illustrating the arrangement of theplurality of imaging apparatuses 110. Here, FIG. 12A is a diagramillustrating a first arrangement example, and FIG. 12B is a diagramillustrating a second arrangement example.

As illustrated in FIG. 12A, the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110 arearranged to surround a subject ob. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG.12B, the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110 are arranged in one row.The arrangement of the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110 is notlimited to the example illustrated in each of FIGS. 12A and 12B.

The information terminal 120 illustrated in FIG. 11 performs display onthe basis of divided data transmitted from the server 130. As oneexample, the information terminal 120 is a smartphone, a tabletterminal, a personal computer, or the like.

As a specific configuration example, the information terminal 120includes a second communication unit 121, a display unit 122, and asecond control unit 123.

The second communication unit 121 receives divided data transmitted fromthe server 130. The second communication unit 121 transmits datatransmission request information, switching request information, andtransmission stop request information to the server 130.

The data transmission request information is an information signal forrequesting the server 130 to transmit divided data to the informationterminal 120.

The switching request information is an information signal forrequesting to switch divided data based on moving image data generatedby one imaging apparatus 110, which is transmitted from the server 130to the information terminal 120, into other divided data based on othermoving image data generated by imaging apparatuses 110 other than theone imaging apparatus 110 and to transmit the other divided data fromthe server 130 to the information terminal 120.

The transmission stop request information is an information signal forrequesting to stop the transmission of divided data transmitted from theserver 130 to the information terminal 120.

The display unit 122 displays a moving image or the like as one example.In addition, the display unit 122 may have a function for inputtinginformation like a touch panel or the like. In a case in which thedisplay unit 122 does not have the input function, an input unit thatcan input information is disposed in the information terminal 120.

The second control unit 123 controls the second communication unit 121and the display unit 122. As one example, in a case in which divideddata is received by the second communication unit 121, the secondcontrol unit 123 causes the display unit 122 to display a moving imagebased on the divided data. In addition, for example, in a case in whichinformation is input through the display unit 122, the second controlunit 123 generates data transmission request information, switchingrequest information, or transmission stop request information based onthe information and performs control of the second communication unit121 such that it transmits the data transmission request information,the switching request information, or the stop request information thathas been generated.

The server 130 includes a third communication unit 131, a storage unit132, and a third control unit 133.

The third communication unit 131 communicates with the plurality ofimaging apparatuses 110 and the information terminal 120 via thecommunication network N. The third communication unit 131 receivesmoving image data transmitted from each of the plurality of imagingapparatuses 110. The third communication unit 131 receives datatransmission request information, switching request information, andtransmission stop request information transmitted from the informationterminal 120. The third communication unit 131 transmits divided datastored in the storage unit 132 to the information terminal 120.

The storage unit 132 stores data. More specifically, in the storage unit132, a plurality of pieces of moving image data acquired by imaging asubject at different angles are stored in units of divided data dividedinto one or more frames, for example, in order of a time series. Inother words, the moving image data is arranged as divided data in unitsof an arbitrary number of seconds. For example, information of areproduction sequence such as a time stamp may be assigned to thedivided data. In addition, for example, the divided data (frame) may berecorded as alignment of image files or in a moving image format such asa fragmented mp4 or MPEG2-ts format. The storage unit 132 sores programsand various kinds of data used by the server 130. The storage unit 132is any of various recording media such as a hard disk, a memory, or thelike.

The third control unit 133 causes the storage unit 132 to store aplurality of pieces of moving image data received by the secondreception unit in units of divided data acquiring by dividing the movingimage data into one or more frames in the order of a time series. Morespecifically, the third control unit 133 performs a process of dividingeach of a plurality of pieces of moving image data received by the thirdcommunication unit 131 for every predetermined number of frames. As oneexample, the predetermined number of frames is one or more frames. Thedivided data divided into a predetermined number of frames is stored inthe storage unit 132 in units of this divided data.

FIGS. 13A to 13D each are a diagram illustrating moving image data anddivided data. Here, FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating moving imagedata, FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a first example of the divideddata, FIG. 13C is a diagram illustrating a second example of the divideddata, and FIG. 13D is a diagram illustrating a third example of thedivided data.

As illustrated in FIG. 13A, the moving image data D1 is composed of aplurality of frames F1, F2, F3, . . . .

The third control unit 133 may divide moving image data for everyplurality of frames and store the moving image data in the storage unit132 in units of divided data in the storage unit 132. As illustrated inFIG. 13B as one example, by dividing the moving image data for everythree frames, a plurality of frames of the moving image data aresequentially divided into divided data D2 divided into the frames F1 toF3 and divided data D2 divided into the frames F4 to F6.

In addition, the third control unit 133 may divide moving image datainto a plurality of frames and one frame and store the moving image datain the storage unit 132 in units of divided data. In such a case, thedivided data is composed of a multiple-frame divided data composed of aplurality of frames and a single-frame divided data composed of oneframe. In other words, the divided data is configured such that amultiple-frame divided data and a single-frame divided data arealternately arranged in a time series. A frame configuring thesingle-frame divided data may be the same as a last frame in a timeseries configuring previous multiple-frame divided data or a first framein a time series configuring a next multiple-frame divided data.

As illustrated in FIG. 13C as one example, a plurality of frames ofmoving image data are sequentially divided into divided data D2(multiple-frame divided data D2M) divided into frames F1 to F3, divideddata D2 (single-frame divided data D2S) divided into a frame F4, divideddata D2 (multiple-frame divided data D2M) divided into frames F5 to F7,and divided data D2 (single-frame divided data D2S) divided into a frameF8. In this case, the frame F4 may be the same as one of the frame F3and the frame F5. Similarly, the frame F8 may be the same as one of theframe F7 and a frame F9 (not illustrated).

In addition, the third control unit 133 may delete a frame configuringsingle-frame divided data. For example, in a case in which there is atransmission stop request as will be described below, the third controlunit 133 transmits single-frame divided data. The third control unit 133may store log information relating to transmitted single-frame divideddata (a frame), analyze the log information for every predeterminedperiod, and, in a case in which a frequency in use of the single-framedivided data is lower than a threshold, delete the single-frame divideddata (a frame) having a low frequency in use.

In addition, there may be a plurality of pieces of single-frame divideddata that are continuous in a time series. The divided data isconfigured such that one piece of multiple-frame divided data and aplurality of pieces of single-frame divided data are alternatelyarranged in a time series. A frame configuring first single-framedivided data in a time series among a plurality of pieces ofsingle-frame divided data that are continuous may be the same as a lastframe in a time series configuring the previous multiple-frame divideddata. In addition, a frame configuring a last single-frame divided datain a time series among a plurality of pieces of single-frame divideddata that are continuous may be the same as a first frame in a timeseries configuring next multiple-frame divided data.

As illustrated in FIG. 13D as one example, a plurality of frames ofmoving image data are sequentially divided into divided data D2(multiple-frame divided data D2M) divided into frames F1 to F3, divideddata D2 (single-frame divided data D2S) divided into a frame F4, divideddata D2 (single-frame divided data D2S) divided into a frame F5, divideddata D2 (single-frame divided data D2S) divided into a frame F6, anddivided data D2 (multiple-frame divided data D2M) divided into frames F7to F9 (the frame F9 is not illustrated). In this case, the frames F4 toF6 may be respectively the same as the frames F1 to F3 or the frames F7to F9 (the frame F9 is not illustrated in FIG. 13D).

Here, similar to the description presented in the example illustrated inFIG. 13C, the third control unit 133 may delete single-frame divideddata (a frame) having a low frequency in use.

In a case in which identification data is added to moving image data bythe imaging apparatus 110, the third control unit 133 stores the movingimage data in the storage unit 132 in association with theidentification data (the imaging apparatus 110). In a case in which datain which a position relation of a plurality of imaging apparatuses 110is set is stored in the storage unit 132 of the server 130, the thirdcontrol unit 133 can identify also the moving image data stored in thestorage unit 132 to be moving image data imaged by a certain imagingapparatus 110 (at a certain position).

The third control unit 133 performs control such that divided data isread from the storage unit 132 on the basis of data transmission requestinformation received by the third communication unit 131. For example,in a case in which one of the plurality of pieces of divided data isrequested to be transmitted in accordance with data transmission requestinformation, the third control unit 133 performs control such that therequested divided data is read from the storage unit 132. The thirdcontrol unit 133 performs control of the third communication unit 131such that the read divided data is transmitted to the externalinformation terminal 120.

The data transmission request information is an information signal forrequesting the server 130 to transmit divided data to the informationterminal 120.

In a case in which the data transmission request information has beenreceived by the third communication unit 131, the third control unit 133performs control such that moving image data generated by one imagingapparatus 110 among the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110 is readfrom the storage unit 132 in units of divided data. The divided data tobe read is divided data based on the moving image data generated by theimaging apparatus 110 set in advance. Alternatively, in a case in whichthe imaging apparatus 110 is selected in the information terminal 120,and the selected information is added to the data transmission requestinformation, the divided data to be read is divided data based on themoving image data generated by the selected imaging apparatus 110. Inaddition, in a case in which a time such as an imaging time or areproduction time is designated in the information terminal 120, andinformation of the time designation is added to the data transmissionrequest information, the divided data to be read is divided data towhich time information corresponding to the time designation has beenadded on the basis of the time information added to the moving imagedata.

The third control unit 133 performs control of the third communicationunit 131 such that it transmits the divided data read from the storageunit 132 to the information terminal 120.

In addition, the third control unit 133 performs control of the thirdcommunication unit 131 such that it reads divided data following thedivided data requested in the data transmission request information fromthe storage unit 132 in order of a time series and transmits the readdivided data to the information terminal 120 in order of a time series.The third control unit 133 reads and transmits the following divideddata from the storage unit 132 even in a case in which there is no nextdata transmission request information from the information terminal 120.

In a case in which there is switching request information for requestingto switch divided data from the information terminal 120, the thirdcontrol unit 133 performs control such that other divided data based onother moving image data other than the transmitted divided image is readfrom the storage unit 132 in order of a time series. More specifically,the third control unit 133 performs control such that other divided datathat is continuous in time to the divided data at a timing at which theswitching request information is present is sequentially read from thestorage unit 132. The third control unit 133 performs control of thethird communication unit 131 such that it transmits the read otherdivided data to the information terminal 120.

The switching request information is an information signal forrequesting to switch divided data based on the moving image datagenerated by one imaging apparatus 110, which is transmitted from theserver 130 to the information terminal 120, to other divided data basedon other moving image data generated by other imaging apparatus 110other than the one imaging apparatus 110 and to transmit the otherdivided data from the server 130 to the information terminal 120.

As one example, in a case in which the switching request information isa request for switching from a moving image imaged by one imagingapparatus 110 to a moving image imaged by another other imagingapparatus 110 disposed next to the one imaging apparatus 110 on theright side, the divided data is stored in the storage unit 132 inassociation with the identification data as described above, andaccordingly, the third control unit 133 reads the requested otherdivided data from the storage unit 132 on the basis of the association.

In this case, the third control unit 133 reads other divided data fromthe storage unit 132 such that imaging times of the divided data and theother divided data are continuous or almost continuously in time at thetiming of switching from the divided data to the other divided data.

FIGS. 14A to 14D each are a diagram illustrating switching of divideddata. Here, FIG. 14A is a diagram illustrating divided data, FIG. 14B isa first diagram illustrating switching of divided data, and FIG. 14C isa second diagram illustrating switching of divided data.

As illustrated in FIG. 14A as one example, divided data D2-A1, D2-A2,D2-A3, D2-A4, . . . acquired by dividing moving image data A and divideddata D2-B1, D2-B2, D2-B3, D2-B4, . . . acquired by dividing moving imagedata B are respectively configured by frames acquired through imaging atthe same or almost the same imaging time.

In an embodiment, divided data acquired by dividing the moving imagedata A and divided data acquired by dividing the moving image data B maybe imaged at different imaging times.

As illustrated in FIG. 14B as one example, in a case in which aswitching request signal S has been accepted after sequentiallytransmitting divided data D2-A1 and D2-A2 based on the moving image dataA, the third control unit 133 reads divided data D2_B3 that is next tothe divided data D2-A2 in time from the storage unit 132.

In addition, the third control unit 133 sequentially reads divided dataD2-D4 that is later than the divided data D2-B3 in time from the storageunit 132. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 14C as one example, in acase in which a switching request signal S has been accepted aftersequentially transmitting the divided data D2-A1 and D2-A2 based on themoving image data A, the third control unit 133 reads divided data D2-B2of which a timing is the same as that of the divided data D2-A2 in timefrom the storage unit 132. In addition, the third control unit 133sequentially reads divided data D2-B3, D2-B4, . . . that are later thanthe divided data D2-B2 in time from the storage unit 132.

Since time information has been added to the moving image data in theimaging apparatus 110, the third control unit 133 can read divided dataand other divided data continuously or almost continuously in time onthe basis of the time information. Alternatively, even in a case inwhich time information has not been added to moving image data, thethird control unit 133 acquires a reproduction time from the start whena moving image is reproduced on the basis of divided data by theinformation terminal 120 and reads other divided data including a framecorresponding to the reproduction time of the divided data thereof fromthe storage unit 132, whereby the divided data and the other divideddata can be read continuously or almost continuously in time.

As a specific example, in a case in which the information terminal 120sequentially displays a moving image based on divided data correspondingto one imaging apparatus 110, when a swiping operation is performed fromthe right side to the left side on the display screen of the displayunit 122, in order to request transmission of divided data generatedfrom moving image data imaged by another imaging apparatus 110 disposedon the right side of one imaging apparatus 110 that has generated movingimage data that becomes a source of one piece of divided data, thesecond control unit 123 performs control such that switching requestinformation is transmitted to the server 130.

When the switching request information is received, the third controlunit 133 of the server 130 specifies another imaging apparatus 110 onthe basis of identification data added to the moving image data, readsother moving image data imaged by another imaging device 110 that hasbeen specified in units of divided data in the order of a time seriesfrom the storage unit 132, and performs control such that the movingimage data is sequentially transmitted to the information terminal 120as other divided data. Here, in the switching request information, byincluding identification data in the divided data received by theinformation terminal 120, the information terminal 120 may be configuredto be able to designate another imaging apparatus 110, or anotherimaging apparatus 110 may be specified on the basis of theidentification information added to the moving image data stored by theserver 130.

When other divided data is received, the information terminal 120displays a moving image based on the other divided data on the displayunit 122.

During the transmission of divided data, in a case in which there istransmission stop request information requesting stop of thetransmission of divided data from the information terminal 120, thethird control unit 133 performs control of the third communication unit131 such that it stops the transmission of the divided data. Thetransmission stop request information is an information signal forrequesting to stop the transmission of divided data transmitted from theserver 130 to the information terminal 120. In this case, the thirdcontrol unit 133 reads other divided data that is based on one or aplurality of pieces of moving image data other than the divided datathat is being transmitted and has the same timing as a timing at whichthe divided data is stopped in a time series from the storage unit 132and performs control of the third communication unit 131 such that ittransmits the read other divided data.

In a case in which the divided data based on the moving image datagenerated by one imaging apparatus 110 is controlled to be transmitted,when transmission stop request information is received from the thirdcommunication unit 131, the third control unit 133 stops the reading ofdivided data from the storage unit 132 and performs control of the thirdcommunication unit 131 such that it stops the transmission of thedivided data thereof to the information terminal 120. The third controlunit 133 reads other divided data based on the moving image data imagedby one or a plurality of other imaging apparatuses 110 from the storageunit 132 and performs control of the third communication unit 131 suchthat it transmits the read other divided data to the informationterminal 120. In this case, the third control unit 133 reads otherdivided data to which time information that is the same as or almost thesame as time information added to the divided data that has beentransmitted last.

For example, if described with reference to FIG. 14A, when transmissionstop request information is received after transmission of divided dataD2-A2 based on moving image data A, the third control unit 133 performscontrol such that, after divided data D2-B2 or divided data D2-B3 basedon moving image data B is transmitted, the transmission of the divideddata is stopped.

In addition, in a case in which time information has not been added tothe moving image data in the imaging apparatus 110, the third controlunit 133 specifies other divided data that becomes a time correspondingto a reproduction time on the basis of the reproduction time when amoving image based on the divided data is reproduced by the informationterminal 120 and reads the specified other divided data from the storageunit 132.

In addition, in a case in which there is transmission stop requestinformation of the divided data from the information terminal 120 duringthe transmission of the divided data, the third control unit 133performs control of the third communication unit 131 such that ittransmits single-frame divided data closest to a time at which there isthe transmission stop request information in time. In a case in whichtransmission stop request information has been received by the thirdcommunication unit 131, the third control unit 133 stops sequentialreading of divided data in a time series. The third control unit 133reads next or previous single-frame divided data in a time series fromthe timing at which the sequential reading of divided data in a timeseries was stopped from the storage unit 132 and performs control of thethird communication unit 131 such that it transmits the readsingle-frame divided data to the information terminal 120.

For example, if described with reference to FIG. 13D, in a case in whichthere is a transmission stop request in a case in which divided data D2including frames F1 to F3 is transmitted, the third control unit 133performs control such that single-frame divided data D2S including aframe F4 that is closest from the divided data D2 thereof in time istransmitted.

In addition, after performing control such that the transmission ofdivided data is stopped due to the presence of transmission stop requestinformation from the information terminal 120, in a case in which thereis switching request information from the information terminal 120, thethird control unit 133 performs control such that other divided databased on one or a plurality of pieces of moving image data other thanthe divided data of which the transmission has been stopped istransmitted to the information terminal 120. In this case, the otherdivided data is other single-frame divided data having the same timingas the timing at which the divided data is stopped in a time series.

When transmission stop request information is received by the thirdcommunication unit 131, the third control unit 133 performs control suchthat the transmission of the divided data is stopped. Thereafter, whenswitching request information is received by the third communicationunit 131 from the information terminal 120, the third control unit 133reads other divided data based on other moving image data for whichthere has been the request from the storage unit 132 and performscontrol of the third communication unit 131 such that the read otherdivided data is transmitted to the information terminal 120. In thiscase, the third control unit 133 reads other divided data to which timeinformation that is the same or almost the same as the time informationadded to divided data that has been transmitted last is added. Inaddition, in a case in which time information has not been added tomoving image data in the imaging apparatus 110, the third control unit133 specifies other divided data of a time corresponding to areproduction time on the basis of the reproduction time at a time when amoving image based on divided data is reproduced by the informationterminal 120 and reads the specified other divided data from the storageunit 132.

In a case in which a multiple-frame divided data is transmitted, whenswitching request information for requesting switching of divided datais present from the information terminal 120, the third control unit 133reads single-frame divided data from the storage unit 132 and performscontrol of the third communication unit 131 such that it transmits theread single-frame divided data. In this case, the single-frame divideddata is single-frame divided data that is closest from the transmittedmultiple-frame divided data in time. Described in more details, thesingle-frame divided data is single-frame divided data generated fromother moving image data other than moving image data that becomes asource of multiple-frame divided data.

In a case in which divided data is read in the order of a time seriesfrom the storage unit 132, and the read divided data is controlled to besequentially transmitted to the information terminal 120, when switchingrequest information is received by the third communication unit 131 at atiming at which multiple-frame divided data as divided data has beentransmitted or is transmitted, the third control unit 133 readssingle-frame divided data from the storage unit 132 and performs controlof the third communication unit 131 such that it transmits thesingle-frame divided data to the information terminal 120.

In this case, the single-frame divided data read from the storage unit132 is single-frame divided data generated from other moving image dataother than the moving image data that becomes a source of transmittedmultiple-frame divided data. In addition, the single-frame divided datais single-frame divided data that is closest in time from a timing atwhich the multiple-frame divided data is transmitted or has beentransmitted. In addition, the single-frame divided data may besingle-frame divided corresponding to a time immediately before orimmediately after multiple-frame divided data that is the closest intime from a timing at which multiple-frame divided data is transmittedor has been transmitted or may be single-frame divided datacorresponding to a time that is earlier or later than the multiple-framedivided data by several frames. The third control unit 133, as describedabove, can specify single-frame divided data to be read from the storageunit 132 on the basis of the time information added to the moving imagedata or a reproduction time based on the divided data.

In addition, as described above, in the information terminal 120,switching request information is generated on the basis of a swipingoperation on the display unit 122. In a swiping operation performed inthe information terminal 120, in a case in which a touch of a user'sfinger on the display unit 122 ends (in a case in which the finger isseparated from the display unit 122) and in a case in which a touch ofthe user's finger on the display unit 122 stops (in a case in which thefinger is not separated from the display unit 122), the third controlunit 133 transmits only single-frame divided data (the originalsingle-frame divided-data) based on the moving image data to theinformation terminal 120 on the basis of the switching requestinformation. In addition, simultaneously with the transmission of theoriginal single-frame divided data, the third control unit 133 readsdivided data (other divided data) based on other moving image data fromthe storage unit 132. In a case in which an imaging time of otherdivided data read from the storage unit 132 becomes the same as (orclose to) an imaging time of the original single-frame divided data thatis continuously transmitted, the third control unit 133 performsswitching from the original single-frame divided data to other divideddata and transmits the other divided data to the information terminal120.

In addition, in a case in which divided data is sequentially transmittedto the information terminal 120, when switching request information isreceived from the information terminal 120, the third control unit 133,simultaneously with continuously transmitting only single-frame divideddata (original single-frame divided data) based on the moving image datathat has been continuously transmitted to the information terminal 120,may also transmit multiple-frame divided data (other multiple-framedivided data) based on other moving image data of a previous time to theinformation terminal 120 in parallel with the original single-framedivided data. In this case, in a case in which an imaging time of themultiple-frame divided data that is being transmitted becomes the sameas (or close to) an imaging time of the original single-frame divideddata that has been continuously transmitted in parallel, the thirdcontrol unit 133 may stop the transmission of the original single-framedivided data and continue to transmit the other multiple-frame divideddata. In addition, the information terminal 120 displays an image basedon the original single-frame divided data in the display unit anddisplays a moving image based on the other multiple-frame divided datawhen the reception of the single-frame divided data is stopped.

Next, a moving image distribution method will be described.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a moving image distribution method.

In step ST1, the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110, as an example,image the same subject from different angles, thereby generating movingimage data. Each of the imaging apparatuses 110 transmits the generatedmoving image data to the server 130.

In step ST2, the server 130 receives the moving image data transmittedin step ST1.

In step ST3, the server 130 divides the moving image data received instep ST2 into one or more frames and stores the moving image data inunits of divided data in the order of a time series.

In step ST4, the server 130 receives data transmission requestinformation for requesting transmission of divided data from theexternal information terminal 120.

In step ST5, the server 130 reads the divided data stored in step S3 onthe basis of the request information received in step ST4.

In step ST6, the server 130 transmits the divided data read in step ST5to the information terminal 120 in the order of a time series.

In step ST7, the information terminal 120 sequentially receives thedivided data transmitted in step ST6.

In step ST8, the information terminal 120 displays a moving image basedon the divided data received in step ST7.

In this moving image distribution method, the server 130 may execute theprocesses of step ST2 to step ST6 using a program of a computerconfiguring this server 130.

Next, the operations of the server 130 will be described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of the server.

In step S11, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) determineswhether request information received by the third communication unit 131is data transmission request information, switching request information,or transmission stop request information. In the case of the datatransmission request information, the process proceeds to step S12. Inthe case of the switching request information, the process proceeds tostep S13. In the case of the transmission stop request information, theprocess proceeds to step S14.

In step S12, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) sequentiallytransmits divided data.

In step S13, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) switches fromthe divided data to other divided data and transmits the other divideddata. The server 130 (the third control unit 133) sequentially transmitssucceeding other divided data. In addition, the server 130 (the thirdcontrol unit 133) can transmit other single-frame divided data dependingon the situation.

In step S14, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) determines oneof first to third cases. For example, the first to third cases aredetermined on the basis of conditions set in advance. As one example, ina case in which the transmission stop request is received, the server130 (the third control unit 133) executes the process of the first casein a case in which a condition set in advance is the first case.

In a case in which the first case is determined in step S14, the server130 (the third control unit 133) transmits other divided data and stopsthe transmission of the divided data and the other divided data in stepS15.

In a case in which the second case is determined in Step S14, the server130 (the third control unit 133) transmits single-frame divided data andstops the transmission of data in step S16.

In a case in which the third case is determined in step S14, the server130 (the third control unit 133) stops the transmission of the divideddata in step S17.

In step S18, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) determineswhether or not the switching request information has been received. In acase in which the switching request information has been received, theprocess proceeds to step S19. In a case in which the switching requesthas not been received, the process performs the determination of stepS18 again.

In step S19, the server 130 (the third control unit 133) transmits otherdivided data.

Next, effects of the embodiment will be described.

The server 130 as a moving image distribution device is configured toinclude the storage unit 132 in which moving image data is stored inunits of divided data acquired by dividing the moving image data intoone or more frames in the order of a time series, the thirdcommunication unit 131 that receives data transmission requestinformation from the external information terminal 120 and transmitsdivided data to the information terminal 120, and the third control unit133 that reads divided data from the storage unit 132 on the basis ofdata transmission request information (request information) received bythe third communication unit 131 and performs control of the thirdcommunication unit 131 such that it transmits the read divided data tothe information terminal 120.

The server 130 as a moving image distribution device stores moving imagedata in units of divided data in the storage unit 132 and transmits themoving image data in units of the divided data thereof. By configuringdata in units of divided data, as one example, in divided data composedof three frames and data in which there are three images composed of oneframe, the divided data is compressed more, and the file size can bedecreased. In accordance with this, the moving image distribution devicecan shorten a time required for data transmission more than in aconventional case.

In addition, the server 130 can allow the information terminal 120 tostore data in the form of the divided data or to access in the form ofthe divided data, and accordingly, switching to other divided data canbe easily performed. In other words, the server 130 can perform seamlessswitching from a moving image imaged by one imaging apparatus 110 to animage imaged by another imaging apparatus.

In addition, conventionally, in a case in which an ordinary moving imageis transmitted to the information terminal, when the file volume islarge to a certain degree, and the number of imaging apparatuses becomeslarger, data needs to be read into the storage unit of the informationterminal in advance, which is practically difficult. Furthermore, in acase in which a moving image is read from a local disk, the informationterminal requires a time for reading and needs to seek until a switchingtime even after reading the moving image, and accordingly, it isdifficult to perform seamless switching.

In a case in which any one of a plurality of pieces of divided data isrequested to be transmitted in accordance with data transmission requestinformation, the third control unit 133 of the moving image distributiondevice reads the requested divided data from the storage unit 132 andperforms control such that the read divided data is transmitted to theinformation terminal 120. In this case, the third control unit 133 readsdivided data succeeding the divided data requested in the datatransmission request information in the order of a time series from thestorage unit 132 and performs control such that the read divided data istransmitted to the information terminal 120 in the order of a timeseries.

In accordance with this, in a case in which divided data is transmitted,the server 130 as a moving image distribution device can decrease a loadapplied to the communication network N to be lower than that of aconventional case (a case in which an image composed of one frame issequentially transmitted). In addition, in the information terminal 120in which a moving image based on divided data is displayed, the load forreceiving data can be lowered.

In a case in which there is switching request information, the thirdcontrol unit 133 of the moving image distribution device sequentiallyreads other divided data that is based on other moving image data otherthan the divided data that is being transmitted and is continuous intime from the divided data at a timing at which there is the switchingrequest information from the storage unit 132 and performs control suchthat the read other divided data is transmitted.

The server 130 as the moving image distribution device transmits movingimage data in units of divided data to the information terminal 120 andthus can instantly switch from one divided data to other divided dataand transmit the other divided data to the information terminal 120. Inaccordance with this, after transmitting the switching requestinformation to the server 130, the information terminal 120 does notneed to wait for the completion of download of all the data that hasbeen received until now. In other words, the information terminal 120can instantly switch from a moving image based on divided data to amoving image based on other divided data can be performed.

In a case in which there is transmission stop request information duringthe transmission of divided data, the third control unit 133 of themoving image distribution device performs control such that thetransmission of the divided data is stopped. In this case, the thirdcontrol unit 133 reads other divided data that is based on one or aplurality of pieces of other moving image data other than the divideddata that is being transmitted and has the same timing in a time seriesas a timing at which the divided data is stopped from the storage unit132 and performs control such that the read other divided data istransmitted.

In accordance with this, the information terminal 120 downloads divideddata and the other divided data and accordingly, switching between animage based on the divided data and an image based on the other divideddata can be performed by performing only an operation in the informationterminal 120.

In the server 130 as a moving image distribution device, divided framesare composed of multiple-frame divided data composed of a plurality offrames and single-frame divided data composed of one frame. In thiscase, the multiple-frame divided data and the single-frame divided dataare configured to be alternately arranged in a time series. In theinformation terminal 120 to which divided data is transmitted, byarranging single-frame divided data, for example, switching from amoving image displayed on the basis of one divided data to a movingimage data displayed on the basis of other divided data can be easilyperformed.

In the server 130 as a moving image distribution device, a plurality ofpieces of single-frame divided data may be continuously arranged in atime series. In such a case, one multiple-frame divided data and aplurality of pieces of single-frame divided data are configured to bealternately arranged in a time series. In the information terminal 120to which divided data is transmitted, by arranging a plurality of piecesof single-frame divided data, for example, switching from a moving imagedisplayed on the basis of one divided data to a moving image datadisplayed based on other divided data can be performed more easily.

In a case in which there is transmission stop request information duringtransmission of divided data, the third control unit 133 of the movingimage distribution device performs control such that single-framedivided data closest in time from a time at which there is thetransmission stop request information is transmitted.

In accordance with this, since single-frame divided data is received,the information terminal 120 can check an image based on thesingle-frame divided data more easily than the case of a moving image.Furthermore, thereafter, even in a case in which other divided data isreceived on the basis of transmission of switching request information,the information terminal 120 can easily perform switching between imageson the information terminal 120.

In a case in which there is switching request information after thetransmission of divided data is controlled to be stopped in accordancewith the presence of transmission stop request information, the thirdcontrol unit 133 of the moving image distribution device performscontrol such that other single-frame divided data that is based on oneor a plurality of pieces of other moving image data other than thedivided data of which transmission has been stopped and has the sametiming in a time series as a timing at which the divided data is stoppedis transmitted to the information terminal 120.

In accordance with this, the information terminal 120 can display animage based on the single-frame divided data and can perform imageswitching. The moving image distribution device transmits one piece ofother single-frame divided data, and accordingly, the amount of data tobe transmitted can be smaller than that of a case in whichmultiple-frame divided data is transmitted.

In a case in which multiple-frame divided data is transmitted, whenthere is switching request information from the information terminal120, the third control unit 133 of the moving image distribution deviceperforms control such that single-frame divided data is transmitted. Inthis case, the single-frame divided data is single-frame divided datathat is close in time from multiple-frame divided data to be transmittedand is generated from other moving image data other than the movingimage data that becomes a source of the multiple-frame divided data.

In a case in which divided data that is being transmitted is to beswitched to other divided data, the moving image distribution devicetransmits single-frame divided data close in time from themultiple-frame divided data, and accordingly, a moving image based onthe divided data displayed in the information terminal 120 is notswitched with being separated in time, and it can be inhibited to give astrange feeling to a user.

The moving image distribution system includes the plurality of imagingapparatuses 110 that generate moving image data by imaging a subjectfrom different angles, the server 130 that stores divided data based onmoving image data generated by the plurality of imaging apparatuses 110and transmits the divided data, and the information terminal 120 thatperforms display on the basis of the divided data transmitted from theserver 130. In this case, the server 130 includes the storage unit 132that stores a plurality of pieces of moving image data in units ofdivided data acquired by dividing the moving image data into one or moreframes in a time series, the third communication unit 131 that receivesrequest information from the information terminal 120 and transmits thedivided data to the information terminal 120, and the third control unit133 that reads divided data on the basis of the request informationreceived by the third communication unit 131 from the storage unit 132and performs control of the third communication unit 131 such that ittransmits the read divided data to the information terminal 120.

The server 130 of the moving image distribution system stores movingimage data in units of divided data in the storage unit 132 andtransmits the moving image data in units of divided data thereof. Byconfiguring data in units of divided data, the data is compressed, andthe file size can be decreased.

In a case in which divided data is transmitted, the server 130 of themoving image distribution system can decrease the load applied to thecommunication network to be lower than that of a conventional case. Inaddition, the information terminal 120 of the moving image distributionsystem can decrease the load for reception data.

The moving image distribution method includes a step of dividing aplurality of pieces of moving image data acquired by imaging a subjectfrom different angles into one or more frames and storing the movingimage data in units of divided data in a time series, a step ofreceiving data transmission request information (request information)from the external information terminal 120, a step of reading divideddata on the basis of the received data transmission request information,and a step of transmitting the read divided data to the externalinformation terminal 120.

The moving image distribution method stores moving image data in thestorage unit 132 in units of divided data and transmits the moving imagedata in units of the divided data thereof. By configuring data in unitsof divided data, the data is compressed, and the file sized can bedecreased.

The moving image distribution program causes a computer to execute astep of dividing a plurality of pieces of moving image data acquired byimaging a subject from different angles into one or more frames andstoring the moving image data in units of divided data in a time series,a step of receiving request information from the external informationterminal 120, a step of reading divided data on the basis of thereceived data transmission request information (request information),and a step of transmitting the read divided data to the externalinformation terminal 120.

The moving image distribution program stores moving image data in unitsof divided data in the storage unit 132 and transmits the moving imagedata in units of the divided data thereof. By configuring data in unitsof divided data, the data is compressed, and the file size can bedecreased.

Hereinafter, a modified example will be described.

In a case in which divided data is transmitted to the informationterminal 120, when there is a switching request from the informationterminal 120, the third control unit 133 may further divide one piece ofdivided data into a plurality of pieces of divided data at a timing atwhich there is the switching request. As one example, in a case in whichdivided data C composed of six frames is transmitted to the informationterminal 120, when there is a switching request, the third control unit133 may divide the divided data C stored in the storage unit 132 intodivided data C1 composed of three frames of the first half in the orderof a time series and divided data C2 composed of three frames of thesecond half in the order of the time series. In addition, the number offrames is not limited to that of the example described above. Inaddition, in a case in which the same moving image data is transmittedin units of divided data a plurality of numbers of times, when there isa plurality of switching requests at the same timing, one piece ofdivided data corresponding to the timing at which there is the switchingrequest may be divided into a plurality of pieces of divided data.

In the embodiment described above, an example in which divided data isgenerated by dividing moving image data into one or more frames in theorder of a time series has been described. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this example. Thus, a plurality of framesconfiguring moving image data may be sequentially selected at arbitrarytimings in a time series, and divided data may be generated from theselected frames.

In the embodiment described above, an example in which moving image datais transmitted from the imaging apparatus 110 to the server 130 has beendescribed. However, the present invention is not limited to thisexample. Thus, it may be configured such that moving image datagenerated by imaging a subject using the imaging apparatus 110 istemporarily stored in a memory or the like, the memory and the server130 are connected after the completion of the imaging, and the movingimage data is moved from the memory to the server 130.

In addition, various changes are also included in a range not departingfrom the concept of the present invention. Furthermore, theconfigurations of the embodiments described above may be appropriatelycombined.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1 Image distribution system    -   10 Mobile terminal    -   20 Image distribution device    -   21 Acquisition unit    -   22 Data generating unit    -   23 Designated value accepting unit    -   24 Selection unit    -   25 Storage unit    -   30 Information processing terminal    -   33 CPU (requesting unit)    -   35 Drawing LSI (drawing unit)    -   38 Operation recognizing unit    -   40 User    -   O Subject    -   100 Moving image distribution system    -   110 Imaging apparatus    -   120 Information terminal    -   130 Server

That which is claimed:
 1. An image distribution device comprising: astorage unit that stores a still image data in association with positiondata representing an imaging position at which a subject has been imagedin each of a plurality of pieces of moving image data imaged atdifferent points and time data representing a time at which the stillimage data has been imaged, wherein the still image data is generated byextracting a frame at each of a plurality of predetermined times as astill image for each of the plurality of pieces of moving image data; adesignated value accepting unit that accepts a position designationvalue for designating the position data in the still image data desiredto be viewed by a user; and a selection unit that selects the stillimage data in accordance with the time data based at least in part onthe position designation value accepted by the designated valueaccepting unit and transmits the selected still image data to anexternal display device via a communication network, wherein theselection unit selects the still image data corresponding to theposition designation value that has already been designated in a case inwhich the designated value accepting unit has not accepted the positiondesignation value and selects corresponding still image data based atleast in part on a change in the position designation value by using thetime data of the still image data corresponding to a time at which theposition designation value has been accepted as a reference in a case inwhich the designated value accepting unit has accepted the positiondesignation value.
 2. The image distribution device according to claim1, wherein, when the time data is used as a reference, the selectionunit initially selects the still image data corresponding to theposition data selected at that moment.
 3. The image distribution deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the position data is direction datarepresenting information for specifying a direction in which the subjectis imaged, and wherein the designated value accepting unit accepts adirection designation value for designating the direction data in thestill image data desired to be viewed by the user as the positiondesignation value.
 4. An image distribution system comprising: the imagedistribution device according to claim 3; and an information processingterminal that includes a display monitor receiving and displaying thestill image data transmitted from the image distribution device and anoperation recognizing unit recognizing a motion of a finger of a user infront of the display monitor as a direction designating operation forselecting the direction designation value and recognizing an amount ofmovement of the finger of the user as the direction designation valueand configures the display monitor, wherein the information processingterminal, by using the still image data received from the selectionunit, displays the still image data of the subject at the directiondesignation value changing based at least in part on the directiondesignating operation during the direction designating operation anddisplays a pseudo moving image from a direction corresponding to acompletion position by sequentially receiving and displaying the stillimage data having a direction designation value corresponding to thecompletion position of the direction designating operation in a timeseries order when the direction designating operation is not performing.5. The image distribution system according to claim 4, wherein theoperation recognizing unit recognizes a swiping operation in which auser slides a finger in contact with a surface of the display monitor asthe direction designating operation.
 6. The image distribution systemaccording to claim 5, wherein, in a case in which the designated valueaccepting unit accepts the direction designation value, the selectionunit selects the still image data such that the direction data iscontinuously connected in a case in which an amount of change in thedirection designation value per unit time is smaller than a thresholdand selects the still image data such that the direction data isintermittently connected in a case in which the amount of change in thedirection designation value per unit time is equal to or larger than thethreshold.
 7. The image distribution system according to claim 6,wherein the information processing terminal includes a requesting unitthat makes a request to the selection unit for the still image data tobe displayed on the display monitor based at least in part on thedirection designation value and a drawing unit that draws the stillimage data acquired by the requesting unit in the display monitor usingHyper Text Markup Language (HTML) data, and wherein a time TF in whichthe drawing unit draws the still image data on the display monitor isshorter than a time TD in which the requesting unit acquires the stillimage data from the selection unit and transmits the acquired stillimage data to the drawing unit.
 8. An image distribution method causinga computer to execute: an acquisition step of acquiring a plurality ofpieces of moving image data imaged at different points; a datagenerating step of generating still image data by extracting a frame foreach of a plurality of predetermined times as a still image for each ofthe plurality of pieces of moving image data acquired in the acquisitionstep; a storage step of storing the still image data in association withposition data representing an imaging position at which a subject hasbeen imaged in each of the plurality of pieces of moving image data andtime data representing a time at which the still image data has beenimaged; a designated value accepting step of accepting a positiondesignation value for designating a position at which the subject isviewed by a user; and a selection step of selecting the still image datain accordance with the time data based at least in part on the positiondesignation value accepted in the designated value accepting step andtransmitting the selected still image data to an external display devicevia a communication network, wherein, in the selection step, the stillimage data corresponding to the position designation value that hasalready been designated is selected in a case in which the positiondesignation value has not been accepted in the designated valueaccepting step, and corresponding still image data is selected based atleast in part on a change in the position designation value by using thetime data of the still image data corresponding to a time at which theposition designation value has been accepted as a reference in a case inwhich the position designation value has been accepted in the designatedvalue accepting step.
 9. A non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising stored instructions, which when executed by a processor,cause the processor to: acquire a plurality of pieces of moving imagedata imaged at different points; generate still image data by extractinga frame for each of a plurality of predetermined times as a still imagefor each of the plurality of pieces of moving image data; store thestill image data in association with position data representing animaging position at which a subject has been imaged in each of theplurality of pieces of moving image data and time data representing atime at which the still image data has been imaged; accept a positiondesignation value for designating a position at which the subject isviewed by a user; select the still image data in accordance with thetime data based at least in part on the position designation value; andtransmit the selected still image data to an external display device viaa communication network, wherein the still image data corresponding tothe position designation value that has already been designated isselected in a case in which the position designation value has not beenaccepted, and corresponding still image data is selected based at leastin part on a change in the position designation value by using the timedata of the still image data corresponding to a time at which theposition designation value has been accepted as a reference in a case inwhich the position designation value has been accepted.